My strategy is to work on my thesis for my final project #Synergy. The goal is to build a toolkit for testing interventions based on research in Affective Computing to help individuals improve learning outcomes with adaptive tools.

Adaptive tools in this context are tools that modify difficulty in response to user performance. A professional examples of this are Yousician. However, these aren't always digital.

There are three main components of this project:

• Input Sensors
• User Interface
• Output Devices

This work builds upon previous research done by the HCIE Adapt2Learn

Input Sensors

Electrodermal Activity Sensor

Electrodermal Activity Sensors are great ways of measuring stress/arousal in individuals. It is actually relatively simple and there is a good example project:  Example Project . It should be a pretty simple conductivity sensor.

Breath Sensor

This is also a relatively simple concept to build. It can be done by making a wearable that goes around an individuals chest and can measure expansion and contractions. There are several examples online, including one using conductive knitted stretch sensors, 

ECG

Electrocardiograms provide information on heart activity, including rate and rhythm. These are great indicators of stress/frustration for this toolbox.

User Interface

Electrodermal Activity Sensor

The user interface will allow developers to set interventions to trigger in response to triggers, which are set off by the input device. For example, the user could create an event that triggers when heart rate and EDA hit a threshold for a certain amount of time. When this happens, they may trigger a message of encouragement or play a sound that simulates the cycle of deep breathing.

Output Devices

Speakers

Playing sounds proven to reduce stress or induce stress reducing practices, such as deep breathing. This could also be used to play intervention messages

Display Control (uncertain what this actually needs to be)

This allows for the system to control the brightness of the display to slightly modulate, also mimicking the cadence of deep breath exercises

LED Lights

Light responses in response to failures can help lift moods or bring awareness to frustration

Tactile Response

This can be a physical signal that could mimic breathing exercises or bring awareness to users.

Text Response

This would be primarily for messaging and could probably be done many ways. I think an ideal solution would be a wearable OLED that could send the tactile response to get the users attention, then provide the information feedback.